Arbitron releases Summer 2004 response data
Arbitron, still struggling a bit with response rates, released some fairly encouraging, stable numbers, especially for the top 10 metros. The summary included response rates (the percentage of the total eligible sample who returned a usable diary), consent rates (the percentage of eligible sample who live in households that said "yes" to keeping an Arbitron diary) and return rates (the percentage of people who were sent a diary by Arbitron who returned a usable diary) for the 98 markets measured in the Summer 2004 survey (7/1-9/22). In the top ten Metros, response rates rose by 1.1 points, from 27.9% in Summer 2003, to 29.0% in Summer 2004. The top 50 markets surveyed in Summer showed an increase in response rates from 29.4% in 2003 to 29.5% in 2004.
In the overall Summer 2004 survey, the average Metro survey area response rate declined 0.6 percentage points, from 30.8% in Summer 2003 to 30.2% in the Summer 2004. The return rate increased 1.1 points, from 53.6% in Summer 2003 to 54.7% in Summer 2004. The consent rate declined 2.2 points, from 56.9% in Summer 2003 to 54.7% in Summer 2004.
Average Metro Survey Compliance Rates (percent)
Summer 2004 vs. Summer 2003
|
|
Response Rate
|
Consent Rate
|
Return Rate
|
|
|
2004
|
2003
|
Diff.
|
2004
|
2003
|
Diff.
|
2004
|
2003
|
Diff.
|
|
All Markets
|
30.2
|
30.8
|
-0.6
|
54.7
|
56.9
|
-2.2
|
54.7
|
53.6
|
+1.1
|
|
Top 10
|
29.0
|
27.9
|
+1.1
|
52.6
|
52.4
|
-0.2
|
54.5
|
52.7
|
+1.8
|
|
Top 25
|
29.4
|
29.5
|
-0.1
|
53.4
|
54.5
|
-1.1
|
54.6
|
53.4
|
+1.2
|
|
Top 50
|
29.5
|
29.4
|
+0.1
|
54.1
|
54.9
|
-0.8
|
54.1
|
53.0
|
+1.1
|
|
Rank 26-50
|
29.7
|
29.4
|
+0.3
|
54.8
|
55.5
|
-0.7
|
53.6
|
52.4
|
+1.2
|
|
Rank 51-100+
|
30.9
|
32.4
|
-1.5
|
55.4
|
59.0
|
-3.6
|
55.2
|
54.4
|
+0.8
|
In the Summer 2004 survey, Arbitron continued pre-placement and follow-up treatments for young male, black, and Hispanic households that were introduced Spring 2004 for 20 low-response rate Metros. In the four "targeted" low-response Metros surveyed in Summer 2004, the new treatments increased response rates by 2.2%age points, from 25.4% in Summer 2003 to 27.6% in Summer 2004.
Since Spring 2003, when Arbitron announced its most recent response rate initiatives, the company says it has:
* Improved the starting sample to eliminate ineligible numbers
* Provided additional incentives for diary consent and return in targeted "low-response" markets
* Sent larger diary premiums to black and Hispanic households in any market or county that did not receive black or Hispanic Differential Survey Treatment;
* Expanded treatments targeting Males 25-34 in additional markets;
* Opened a second Arbitron interviewing center-in the Southwest;
* Begun transmitting appropriate identifying information for caller ID displays for all calls placed from the two Arbitron interviewing centers;
* Permitted respondents in households that get a pre-placement mailer to say "yes" to the Arbitron survey via a secure Web site.
* Arbitron is also continuing its extensive program of methods research tests to devise techniques to enhance consent and return efforts in future surveys.
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